The Old Schoolroom

The first stone of the Old Schoolroom was laid in 1720 under the direction of Reverend John Hewitt, who was a firm believer that education should be for all.  It was built to replace an existing school building and was funded by his friends and local people offering both funds and free labour.  By 1743 52 children were being taught – some for free, some paid for by relatives and some funded by the Duke of Leeds.

 

Today, the building remains part of the historical heritage of Harthill, and is open for public use. It is located just along the quiet lane behind the church with dedicated disabled parking and with easy wheelchair and pushchair access.

​

The spacious hall overlooks the leafy churchyard.  It is well lit and centrally heated, making it very cosy in the winter months.  In summer the door can be left open and the sunshine streams in.  The hall has a polished wooden floor and houses 40 comfortable chairs and a set of modern folding trestle tables which can be arranged as the hirer chooses.

​

There is a fully equipped kitchen with a domestic sized oven and hob, fridge, a large urn, a kettle, toaster and microwave. There is a large selection of crockery, glasses and trays.

​

The storeroom contains a lovely selection of pre-school children’s toys which can be used by visitors to the hall and to anyone hiring the facilities.  There is disabled access to the toilets and there is a child sized toilet in one of the cubicles.

​

The Old Schoolroom is an ideal venue for meetings, club activities, daytime or evening classes, family parties and social events.